Since October is National Cookbook Month, we’ve been talking about cookbooks that we love at the office. There are cookbooks that we use again and again, wearing them out and staining them with spilled ingredients. Then there are the cookbooks that sit on a shelf like art books; there to inspire us with masterpieces that we can never hope to cook. This is about one such book.
My favorite cookbook is René Redzepi’s A Work In Progress: Not only is this a gorgeous three book set, it’s pretty unique. There’s a cookbook, a copy of Redzepi’s journal, and a book of photos from his personal collection. These three books, while something I will never be able to cook from due to ingredients and technical insanity, is something of a shelf-piece. A conversation starter and something to fawn over. It gives a great glimpse into the mind of one of the world’s best chefs and culinary madmen. You pour over it like some ancient alchemy text. It’s really something to behold. – Bryan
In case you missed the news, Chef René Redzepi has been hailed as one of the world’s most influential chefs, and is responsible for the rise of Nordic cuisine. His book Noma: Time and Place in Nordic Cuisine, was called “the most important cookbook of the year” by The Wall Street Journal. His restaurant Noma claimed top rank on the World’s 50 Best Restaurants list three years in a row.
A Work in Progress is organized in a calendar year format with each month featuring an assortment of seasonal dishes, such as Icy Sloe Berries and Brown Cheese Ganache; Trash Cooking with Leeks; Oxtail and Blueberries; Fresh Tender Squid and Whitecurrent Broth; and Spicy and Sweet Cucumber and Pickled Elderflowers. The book also features an introduction from the Denmark-born Lars Ulrich of Metallica.
Want to have a peek inside? Phaidon Press made this video to give you a quick tour of the three volumes.
What is your favorite art cookbook? The one you just like to leaf through and sigh at the beauty? Share in the comments or find us on Facebook, Instagram or Twitter – tag @dartagnanfoods and tell us what you’re reading.
Photo at top from: http://www.kochfreunde.com